As families rely more on online research, reviews, and digital experiences, private schools must rethink how they approach enrollment marketing strategies. To help schools stay competitive, Enroll Media Group has identified the top 10 private school digital marketing strategies schools should prioritize this year to increase visibility, engagement, and enrollment.

1. Generating Online Reviews

Today, word of mouth happens online. Reviews play a critical role at every stage of the enrollment funnel, from awareness and brand consideration to final enrollment decisions.

Schools should actively manage reviews on all relevant properties. Some big ones to start with are school research platforms like Niche.com, GreatSchools.org, and PrivateSchoolReview.com. Be sure to stay on top of social platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and even business directories like Yelp and Google Business.

Reviews directly influence search rankings and parent trust. Today, they also feed into generative AI results. Check out this Enroll Media Group resource on how to solicit positive reviews for your school online: Review Solicitation Guide.

2. Short-Form + CTV Video Marketing

Video has become essential in private school marketing. Families increasingly discover and evaluate schools through video across social media, YouTube, and Connected TV. High-performing private school video content includes:

• Day-in-the-life student videos
• Virtual campus tours
• Faculty and program highlights
• Student, parent, and alumni snapshots
• School culture/traditions, activities and athletics clips

Authentic video builds emotional connection and improves performance across paid and organic channels, making it one of the most powerful private school marketing tools available today.

3. Long-Form YouTube Content for Enrollment

YouTube is the second-largest search engine and a critical research platform for families. In addition to short-form video on YouTube, private schools should invest in long-form content such as:

• In-depth virtual tours
• Admissions and info session recordings
• Academic explainers
• Faculty thought leadership videos
• Testimonials and student success stories

Longer videos (3–15 minutes) are ideal for more complex topics, program descriptions, and outcomes. Viewers likely already know the general facts about the school before committing to watching longer videos, so consider content that will evoke emotion and help families in the decision-making phase. Repurpose this content across your website, landing pages, and email campaigns to strengthen your school enrollment marketing funnel. 

4. AI Search Optimization (GEO)

As AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT Search, Google SGE, Gemini, and Perplexity grow, schools must adapt their SEO strategies to account for Generative Engine Optimization (GEO). Key private school marketing GEO tactics include:

• Learning which topics are of importance to parents
• Generating and structuring conversational content around parent questions
• Creating FAQ-rich admissions and program pages
• Establishing authority, clarity, and trust within your website and its content
• Tracking success via Google Analytics and 3rd party tools to better understand which content is performing

AI search engines prioritize schools with clear, authoritative content, making this the next evolution of private school SEO. 

5. Customer-Centric Messaging for Schools 

Effective private school marketing focuses on outcomes, not just features. Schools should emphasize experiences and outcomes in their marketing and start with the customer first. Story formats can include:

• Student success stories
• Parent and alumni perspectives
• Student-generated and authentic content

Example of customer-centric marketing language:
Instead of: “Our small class sizes provide personalized attention.” (Which is school-first.)
Try: “Your child will receive personalized attention that supports academic growth and confidence within our small class sizes.” (Which is student-first and outcome-oriented). 

6. High-Intent Paid Search Advertising (PPC)

Organic rankings alone are no longer enough in competitive private school markets. PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising for private schools captures families actively searching for schools. However, it’s too costly to bid generally and broadly. You should target based on demographics (like parental status, household income and geography) and conduct keyword research for high-intent queries. High-intent search terms include:

• “Private schools near me for [grades, gender or philosophy]"
• “Best private schools in [city/state]”
• “Private boarding schools for [grades, gender or philosophy]”
• “Private summer day camps near [city/state]”

Paid search remains one of the highest-converting private school enrollment marketing channels, especially when the keyword research is unique to the school type, market, and demand within those regions. Ensure you have a Google Certified team helping you with the credentials and independent school experience to back it up for the most effective and competitive strategy. 

7. Diversified Digital Advertising Tactics

No single advertising platform works for every school. A strong private school digital advertising strategy may include:

• Google and Microsoft Search ads
• Paid social on Meta, LinkedIn, Reddit, and Spotify
• Display retargeting and behavioral targeting ads
• YouTube and Connected TV ads
• Coordinated print and digital campaigns

Diversification improves performance and reduces risk. Don’t just do what your competitors do; conduct your own research to determine which platforms will be best for reaching your target audience. Use tools like Google Analytics and Search Console to continually measure what’s driving inquiries and pivot throughout. 

8. Lead Nurturing for Enrollment Beyond Emails

Email remains important, and it’s especially critical to create an automated, segmented, and personalized strategy. But inboxes are cluttered, and so it’s only one part of an effective enrollment marketing plan. Schools should use these methods to nurture families who’ve inquired in addition to their email marketing:

• Retargeting and customer match ads on Google and Meta
• Personalized print materials mailed to the home
• SMS reminders for tours and deadlines for those who’ve opted in

Multi-channel lead nurturing keeps your school top of mind throughout a longer decision cycle.

9. A User Experience Audit for Your Visit Pages

“Get them to campus and we’ll take care of the rest” is something school administrators often say. But finding those parents and getting them to sign up for a tour or admissions event is challenging. User experience testing and surveys indicate that sometimes users visit a school website and have difficulty learning about the right visit opportunity for them.

The Solution?: Ask someone outside of your school community to conduct a user experience test, by visiting your school’s website and then having them note how long it took them to:

• Find the location of the school and grades offered
• Learn tuition and affordability information
• Check out the visit and event opportunities
• Complete the right visit registration or inquiry form

Do not use pop-ups as the sole method of promoting what’s happening on campus. The events should live in your main menu on a page that is indexed and accessible for families who dismiss that pop-up immediately. (If you must use pop-ups, delay by 7 seconds or more for SEO purposes.) This user experience exercise could make the difference between getting that family to campus at the right time or missing out completely. 

10. AI-Powered Chatbots for School Websites

Parents visit private school websites for various reasons, and sometimes they need a quick answer. Schools should consider AI chatbots in order to:

• Answer admissions questions like tuition and application deadlines 24/7
• Personalize program recommendations
• Create an appropriate call to action
• Improve the user experience and improve conversion rates
  
  

Enroll Media Group partners with 120+ private schools, colleges, and summer camps worldwide, helping them build data-driven, enrollment-focused marketing strategies. Reach out to Enroll Media Group today if you’re ready to strengthen your private school marketing this year.